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Kicking down barriers

Senior Morgan Lineberry drills the ball in a game this past season. Lineberry just signed a free-agent contract with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. (Optimist photo by Mandy Lambright)

Millions of college football players from different teams across the country have the same dream: to one day walk under the big lights as an NFL athlete.

Former ACU kicker Morgan Lineberry is one of the few to wake up to that dream.

This morning he woke up a Carolina Panther.

“That part hasn’t sunk in just yet,” Lineberry said. “It’s definitely really humbling for me just stepping out there in a few weeks and begin competing for a job.”

He stepped on the scene as a Wildcat and went straight to work, playing in all 13 games his freshman year.

“When I first came here it was a steep learning curve,” he said. “I take pride in my competitive nature and felt like these four years kept me in line.”

Lineberry started his journey from the small stadium of a six-man high school, Lakehill Prep Academy in Dallas, but has now made his mark in ACU’s history books.

His lengthy list of achievements is impressive, including a record-breaking career and appearances in the FCS Senior Scout bowl game and the Texas versus The Nations All-Star game.

“Playing in the Texas vs. The Nation game was a great experience,” Lineberry said. “I got a ton of exposure I needed.”

Nearly 250 scouts from NFL teams were in the stands that day and they liked what they saw from the DII kicker.

Lineberry was welcomed to the team with a signing bonus, a rare treat for free agent players.

“My expectations are to go in and compete right away,” he said. “There’s obviously another starter going in, but I can’t worry about what he’s doing other than what I can learn from him. Whether I start or not, knowing that I’ve done my best is what really matters.”

He said his future has been shaped by the growth of his past.

“I attribute a lot of my mental growth to Coach T. He really knew how to handle special teams and had a great approach to the kicking team.”

Lineberry is another notch in the belt of former ACU football stars that now walk on the big stage.

Posted by Taylor Langston
on May 2nd, 2013 and filed under Sports.
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The Optimist is a publication of the JMC Network, the student news operation of Abilene Christian University. The JMC Network is advised by members of the faculty and staff of ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Opinions expressed by sources in news stories are those of the sources and do not necessarily reflect those of the JMC Network staff, the department, the university or its administration. Read More »